Packaging surgical cotton



May 29, A1928.

R. W. JOHNSON PACKAGING .SURGICAL GoT-TON Filed olct. 6, 1925faff/c/a/swa@ Patented May 29, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.v

ROBERT W. JOHNSON, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T JOHNSON &JOHNSON, OF NEW BRUNSWICK. NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PACKAGING SURGICAL COTTON.

Application led October 6. 1925. Serial No. 60,905.

So called surgical or absorbent.l cotton is usually supplied in .rolledor folded strip form. A. vast amount is used in households; and inemergency the consumer tears or cuts a portion from the strip or roll sothat regardless of the aseptic efficiency of the unbroken package thereis grave danger of infection due to handling and other contaminatinginfluences. Aside from this the nature of the package and the practicereferred to obviously make for waste.

The object. of my invention is to obviate the hazard of infection and topackage the cotton so that there will be no waste.

My inventive thought vwhen reduced to practice is embodied in separatecotton elements or units each of appropriate shape and size forimmediate use in wound dressing, the units being superimposed andmaintained out of direct contact one with the other by separators whichconstitute tifays whereby the units may he removed fronr the. packageand applied to the wound without danger of infection; the assembledunits being secured in a compressed state in a sealed wrapper of suchnature as to admit ofy complete sterilization, and finally sealed withinan external wrapper or carton.

The improved package -is illustrated in its preferred .form in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view with bothseals broken and the upper unit in the act of being lifted; the outerseal or carton be ing broken away to disclose the inner. seal;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a unit and separator in detachedrelation.

The improved package comprises an outer seal or carton 1, preferably ofheavy papel' orcardboard, the construction heilig of the usual open-endbody, with closing and sealing flaps at each end.

The cotton` cut in uniform block or other appropriate shape, is arrangedin superimposed sections, each unit 2 beingentirely separate from otherunits and being maintianed in this` relation in thc original package byinterposed separators 3 of appropriate material, as paper. The elements3 may be slightly larger than the surface area of the cotton units andpreferably are at least equal in area. The elements 3 perform the dualfunction of separators and trays.

'Ihe assemblage of cotton units and separators or trays is compressedand sealed in a wrapper 4, having a longitudinal joint. 5 and end seals6. The wrapper 4 holds the mass in the desired state of compression andalso admits of ready sterilization.

lVlien required for use, the carton is opened, one end of the wrapper isunfolded, and the cotton units freed of compression immediately expand,one or more of theln being projected beyond the edge of the open carton.1n this position, the outer unit may readily bc displaced by and throughthe medium of its complemental tray 3. This follows as a natural resultof the slight adhesion between the cotton unit and the tray, theconnection being suflicient for all necessary handling of the cotton.Thus in manipulating the unit contact of the person with the cotton isavoided and there is no -danger of contamination from this source.

The package forms a convenient first-aid accessory and is particularlyuseful in the home or when traveling Where sterilization is ordinarilydifficult through lack of proper apparatus. Its use insures that thecotton, when applied with ordinary care and by means of the trays, willbe in its original sterilized condition.

What is claimed as new, is

A sterile package of surgical or absorbent cotton, consisting of a stackof separate units of fibrous or absorbent cotton whereof cach is ofappropriate shape and size for immediate use in wound dressing, sterilepartitions for separating and maintaining the independence of said unitsand of light friction material whereby the respective partition ispinchable with the associated unit to provide for sterile handling of aparticular unit without the hazard of disturbing, unpacking andinfecting the remaining units, each unit being condensed and the severalunits being collectively compacted in a sterile wrapper which admits ofthe individual service stated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. y

ROBERT W. JOHNSON.

